New Casey Anthony judge Belvin Perry sets tone for lawyers

Judge Belvin Perry set an April 30 date for a status hearing, and he serves notice in his order that he expects an orderly, professional case.

April 22, 2010|By Alan Schmadtke, Orlando Sentinel

True to his reputation as a no-nonsense jurist, Orange-Osceola Chief Circuit Judge Belvin Perry wasted little time laying out his expectations for attorneys on both sides of the Casey Anthony murder case.

Perry signed an order today calling for an April 30 status hearing on the capital case, and it spelled out what Perry has in mind for the direction of the nearly two-year-old case.

In the first sentence in the order, Perry reminded prosecutors and defense attorneys that the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration say: "Judges and lawyers have a professional obligation to conclude litigation as soon as possible . . ."

Perry also put attorneys on notice about their behavior in court: He asked that they "familiarize themselves with the Ninth Judicial Circuit Courtroom Decorum Policy" and follow it "at all times."

Perry assumed control of the case Monday when Circuit Court Judge Stan Strickland granted a defense motion requesting he withdraw from the case.

Anthony's attorneys said Strickland developed a relationship with a local blogger and they feared their client wouldn't get a fair trial.

Strickland's recusal made way for Perry, the chief judge, to take over the case.

In his order, Perry asked attorneys from both sides to come to next week's hearing prepared to:

•Discuss discovery and scheduling deadlines.

•Discuss future motion deadlines.

•Discuss motions that are still pending.

•And discuss pre-trial and trial dates.

The order reflects Perry's reputation for efficiency. He also asked attorneys to provide him a list of motions that will require evidentiary hearings and those based on pleadings and to give courtesy copies to the court of future motions.

The motion that defense attorneys filed asking that Strickland be removed from the case was not provided to the court ahead of time, court administrators said.

The State Attorney's office on Friday morning will release another batch of discovery in the case.

Some of the new evidence could involve information gleaned from an FBI handwriting expert, according to a report by WFTV.com.

Anthony's defense team has requested records about analyst Lorie Gottesman, the station reported.

The state recently released copies of letters exchanged between Anthony and another Orange County Jail inmate, Robyn Adams. Anthony remains at the jail; Adams is in federal prison.

Anthony's family recently handed over a journal of hers to investigators, the station reported.